Mechanism for counting and stacking articles



MECHANISM FOR COUNTING AND STACKING ARTICLES Filed Jan. 16, 1956 June 7, 1960 K, H N N ETAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 N 2% WWW. MHZ wu z n N N H m EEM T June 7, 1960 K. H. HANSEN ET AL 2,939,578

MECHANISM FOR COUNTING AND STACKING ARTICLES Filed Jan. 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 LI 2 a nvvavrons KENNETH H. HANSEN F 'IG- 3 mean/c s. HOWDLE 174500 a. JOCHEM A rromvEr United States Patent C MECHANISM FOR COUNTING AND STACKING ARTICLES Kenneth H. Hansen, Elm Grove, Frederic E. Howdle, Milwaukee, and Theodore B. Jochem, Wauwatosa, Wis., assignors to Cutler-Hammer, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Jan. 16, 1956, Set. No. 559,480

Claims. 01. 209-32 This invention relates to improvements in mechanism for counting and stacking magazines and the like, particularly to a duplex unit having two stackers operated from a common drive while retaining independent counting, collecting and bundle delivery, and to associated devices for detecting and rejecting non-standard size magazine, and detecting jams at such stackers and diverting the incoming magazines While the jam is cleared. Since the duplex unit has a common drive,both stackers must be shut down when a jam'occurs in one. This means that both feeder lines must-be stopped or their delivery to the stackers temporarily diverted to an emergency receiver.

One object of this invention, therefore, is to detect and remove from the delivery stream an irregular magazine or like article.

Another object of this invention is to detect a jam at a stacker and automatically divert the streams of magazines or the like on the feeder lines from the stackers while a jam is being cleared therein.

A stacker of the type referred to and its controls is described and claimed in Patent No. 2,769,378, issued November 6, 1956. Two ofsuch stackers are mounted side by side to utilize common shafts and drives. The counting systems and collecting baskets with their operating cams for each stacker are independently operated for each stream of magazines. v stopped without losing the count which may be restarted without a warm-up period. To decrease the possibility of a jam occurring at the stackers, two photo-electric relays and light beam sources (sometimes referred to as beam assemblies and photo-relays) are placed in each stream and spacedso'that an oversize magazine will out both beams for a simultaneous period. This signal energizes a relay system to momentarily swing a diverting vane into the stream and remove such magazine. A detector switch located at the mouth of each stacker signals '40 The stackers may be. t

ice

in the drawings are incorporated in a duplex unit in which magazines in a first stream move from a collator 10 to a stacker 22 and in an adjacent second stream from a collator 11 to a stacker 23. The parts in the first or lower stream are identified by even numbers and like parts in the second or upper stream are identified by the next higher odd number. Transfer conveyors 12 and 13 move the magazines 33 from the collators. From these transfer conveyers the magazines arepicked upby canvas belt conveyers 14 and 15 transversely arranged with respect to such transfer conveyers and on which the magazines 33 are conveyed to'the stackers 22 and 23. There is incorporated between the conveyers 14 and 15 and such stackers reject stations at which single magazines can be rejected or'antentire stream diverted for the time necessary to clear a jam. 7

These reject stations consist of horizontal wire belt conveyers 16 and 17 leading to inclined belt wire eonveyers 1'8 and 19 which include a base and holding cover of well-known design. The inclined conveyers carry magazines to horizontal wire belt conveyers 20 and 21 for delivery to the throat of the stackers Z2 and 23. Bundles formed in such stackers are delivered on delivery conveyers 24 and 25. Individual rejected magazines or a continuous diverted stream thereof are moved laterally away'from the reject stations on transverse conveyers 26 and 27. Both the stackers 22 and'23 and the conveyers 18, 19, 20 and 21 leading to them are driven by a common motor28. A separate motor 29 operates independently to provide a drive common to the conveyers 14, 15, 16, 17, 26 and 27. Motors 30 and 31 provide-the drive for the collators 10 and 11 and the transfer conveyers 12 and "The speed of all conveyers is constant andrelated so that the magazines 33 when traveling to the stackers on conveyers 14 and 1-6 are spaced a distance somewhat greater than the length of the magazine. Magazines larger than a specified length should be ejected as not acceptable. To accomplish this(and also continuous diversion) there is positioned in the reject stations spaced photo-relay and light cell assemblies which provide in'each' stream two beams passing vertically through the spaced beltsof the conveyers 16 and 17 so as to be broken by:

the magazines 33 moving on such conveyers. The beam first broken in conveyor, is designated E and that in' conveyer 17 ,is designated EE. The beam-secondtbroken in conveyer 16 ,is designated F and that in conveyer 17 is designated FF. These first and second beams arev spaced so thatv a magazine longer than a specified dimension will interrupt both beams at one time. The relay control mechanism hereinafter described in detail will a jam (overlapping of magazines) and energizes the relay system to swing both diverting vanes into the streams and continually remove the magazines from such streams. Such diversion will continue until the jam 'is cleared and the system reset. The relay system is coordinated with the photo-relays to, prevent swinging of the-diverting vanes themagazines during the clearing of a jam.

Fig. 1 is a schematic top plan view of a device'embodying the present invention incorporated in each stream of articles extending from each collator to each stacker;

Fig. 2 is a schematic View in side elevation of such device; and s Fig 3 is a schematic diagram of the electrical controls forming a part thereof.

.The jam detecting and jam preventing devices Y shown cause pivoted vanes 34 and 35 to be swung from the in-v clined position shown in the full lines whereby they direct the stream of magazines onto the-inclined conveyers'e18 and 19 to the horizontal position'shown in the-broken lines to no longer intercept magazines on the conveyers 16 and 17 and permitthem to fall on conveyers26 and 27 for removal, from:th'e streams. Electromagnetic means such as the solenoids .36 and 37 are energized to move the vanes from non-diverting to. diverting position. De-

pendingupon the signal received the vanes will operate individually to remove a single outsize magazine from either stream or will operate conjointly to divert both streams from the stackers. .In order to automatically 1 detect a jam occurring at the mouth of the stackers 2'2 and 23 there is positioned above the conveyers '20 and 21 jam detector rollers 38 and 39. These rollersoperate jam detector switches 40 and 41 when magazines enter, the stackers overlapped.

The grooved pulleys and wire belts forming the various,

wire belt conveyers, the vanes 34-and 35 and the method of installing them between the horizontal conveyers 16 and 17 and the inclined conveyers 18 and 19 and the mechanism to swing them from non-diverting to diverting position under the control of the solenoids 36 and 37 are well known to those skilled in this art. For the purposes of this invention it is merely required to know that when a solenoid is energized its associated vane is swung to the horizontal diverting position shown in the broken linev of Fig. 2 and that when a solenoid is deenerzied such vane is returned to the inclined non-diverting position.

In the side-by-side duplex unit described economies are obtained by driving both stackers by the common drive motor 28 and by utilizing single shafts and a common supporting frame for all of the pulleys and drums that are in axial alinement. However, this entails some complications of control which will be described. Because there is a common drive for both stackers their operation must be coordinated so that when it is necessary to stop one to eliminatea jam, the other is alsostopped. How ever, in stopping a stacker it is desirable to keep the counting section energized so that the count is not lost and a heat-up period not again requiredn It is also economical in the operation of the entire system to keep the collators and 11 and the conveyers 12, =13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 26 and 27 in operation during'the correction of a jam.

The operation of the vanes and the automatic control of the various motors to accomplish the rejection of oversize magazines and to divert each stream during a jam removal period is controlled by an electrical control system. This system includes the control system used in operating the stackers and described in the aforementioned Patent No. 2,769,378 but only such parts. of said stacker control system which cooperate with parts of this system will be described in detail and reference can be had to such application for greater detail. Where possible the same letters and numbers will be used for like elements of the system described and the system'of such application. The counting and bundle forming operation of the stackers is essentially controlled by photo-relays P and PP (Fig. 3) and their associated light sources Lt. These stacker relays, the light beam assemblies E, F, EE and FF, the jam detection switches 40 and 41, the vane solenoids 36 and 37, the circuit control relays, and the various manually operated switches are all shown in the circuit schematically and diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 3. Each relay has its solenoid and the contacts controlled thereby are designated by the same capital letter. Each normally open contact is further designated by an odd number and each normally closed contact by an even number. The relays and contacts controlled thereby are vertically alined, and the contacts are shown in the positions assumed before the start button 144 is closed and a warm-up period transpired. The photorelays are shown in the position assumed when the light beam is broken. After the warm-up period and when the light beam is not broken these relays will be in the upper position and opposite to that shown in Fig. 3. The normally open contacts are indicated by contact bars spaced below the contacts. The normally'closed contacts are indicated by contact bars placed on-top of the contacts. All of the relays shown are the standard nonlatching type. The control mechanism and circuits for the stackers not shown in detail are symbollically illustrated by the boxes identified as BC1 and BC2. v

The arrangement of the control circuit can best be understood from a description of the operation of the relays included therein during the sequences following normal starting and subsequent sensing of oversize magazines and jams. When starting switch 144is closed, with jam switches 154 closed, relay A is energized and maintained energized by its own interlock contacts A1. This applies voltage on lines L1 and L2 through the contacts B2 and BB2, to analarm 42 and to the transformer for the photo-relays P and PP=and their lights Lt. The control sections'and bridge rectifiers for the clutches for the stackers also have such voltage applied to them by the relay A by a circuit not shown. When the photorelays heat up the light beam will cause the relays P and PP to be energized and the contacts P1 and PPl to close. This energizes the relays B, C, D, BB, CC and DD. The energizing of B and BB breaks the circuit to the alarm. 42 through the contacts B2 and BB2 and closes the contacts B1 and BB1 to energize the motor relay M. Relay M closes contacts M1, M3, M5 to place motor 28 on the lines L1, L2, and L3 starting the stacker units. Relay M closes contacts M7 to start the motors 30 and 31 for the collators and closes contacts M9 to start the reject motor 29. The contacts B4 and BB4 maintain the relays B and BB energized through their own interlock. Thus the motor 29 will remain energized even when the light beam for the photo-relays P and PP is broken during the counting action. The relays C and D are independently operated by the breaking of the beam of the photo-relay P each time a magazine passes through such beam. The same is true of the relays CC and DD upon the interrupting of the beam of photo-relay PP. The contacts C1 and D1. energize the counters and stackingv controls in the box 1301 and the contacts CCl and DD1 energize the counters and stacking controls in the box BC2. Thus the two stackers independently count magazines passing therethrough. At the end of. a counting and stacking operation the clear switch 152 is opened to reset the batch counters and eject any incomplete bundles. The stackers are stopped by opening the manual switch 150.

When there is a jam in one of the stackers, jam switch 154 is manually opened to break the circuit to the lights Lt in both stackers and deenergize the relay M stopping the motor 28 for'both stackers. The jam may be cleared without affecting the count then registered as the light beam is tie-energized. However, the photo-relays, counter and the other control systems are not deenergized so that when the jam has been cleared and the jam switch 154 closed, the counting and stacking operations will continue without loss of the count or without a warm-up period. It should be noted that the opening of the jam switch 154 will also open the contacts M7 and M9. This would stop the collator motors 30 and 31 and the reject motor 29. However, these motors will continue to run if, before the jam switch 154 is opened, either of the automatic, jam detector switches 40 and 41 has been closed. The closing of these jam detector switches energizes relay H closing the contacts H1 and H3 to maintain the circuits to the motors 29, 30 and 31.

Assume that while the device is in operation with streams of magazines being carried by the conveyers into the stackers, an oversize magazine enters the reject station on the conveyer 16. As the leading edge of such magazine cuts the beam at photo-relay E, the contact E2 will close and the circuit will be established through the relay G up to the contacts F2. While the beam at photorelay E is still broken, the leading edge of the oversize magazine will break the beam of photo-relay F. Contacts F2 will close completing the circuit through relay G. The energizing of relay G closes contacts G1 and G3. The contacts G3 energize the solenoid 36 to shift the vane 34 to the: horizontal position. This can occur without interference from preceding magazine which has already started up the inclined conveyer 18. The contacts G1 lock the relay G in circuit with the contacts F2 as they close and the relay G will remain energized until the oversize magazine leaves the beam of photo-relay F permitting such relay to be energized to open contacts F2. This permits the oversize magazine to drop onto the discard conveyer 26 and provides enough time for the solenoid 36 to hold the vane in the horizontal position until the oversize magazine is sufliciently out of the way to permit the vane to move back torthe inclined position. The distances between the vanes 34 and 35 and the photorelays E, F, -EE and vFF are initially adjusted in proportion to the speed of the conveyor and the speed of operation of the solenoids 36 and 37 to provide for the proper timing and correct operation. The sequence of operations is the same when an oversize magazine enters the reject station on the conveyor 17 to cut simultaneously the beams of photo-relays EE and FF. In such stream the relay GG is energized closing the circuit through the solenoid 37 by the contacts GG3 to control the operation of vane 35. Relay GG by the closing of contacts GGl will remain energized until the following edge of the oversize magazine leaves the beam of the relay FF opening the contacts FF2. Since the reject of oversize magazines does not in any way affect the operation of the motor 28 for the stackers or the motors 30 and 31 for the collators and the motor 29 for the conveyers, there is no a need for interrelating the control systems for each stream up to this point. Each of the reject stations in the separate streams operates independently of the other.

While the disposal of such oversize magazines effectively lessens the number of jams which will occur at the stackers, it is possible that such jams can occur. When an overlapping of magazines (jam) occurs on the conveyer 20 at the mouth of the stacker 22, the roller 38 will be raised to close jam detector switch 40. Circuits will then extend from contacts E2 and EE2 to relays H and HH. However, these relays will not be across the line until the beams of photo-relays E and EE are interrupted closing contacts E2 and EE2. When magazines break the beams of photo-relays E and EE, contacts E2 and EE2 close energizing relays H and HH. The circuits now extend to relays G and GG. Relays H and HH through their contacts H1 and HHl extend the circuits through relays J and JJ, contacts H3 and HHS and contacts K2 and KKZ to the contacts F2 and FF2. When the beams of photo-relays F and FF are cut, the contacts F2 and FF2 close and relays G, GG, J and J] are energized. The contacts G3 and GG3 energize the solenoids 36 and 37 and the contacts G1 and 661 maintain the circuits around contacts E2 and EE2. Contacts G1, 11 and K2 maintain relay J around the contacts E2, H1, H3 and HH3. Contacts GGl, H1 and KK2 maintain relay 1] around the contacts EE2, HHl, HHS and H5. Contacts J3 and K2 maintain relays G and J around contacts F2 and contacts H3 and KK2 maintain relays GG and I] around contacts FF2. Thus the vanes 34 and 35 will remain in the horizontal position after the beams of photo-relays E, EE, F and FF are reestablished. Magazines on both streams will continue to be diverted from the conveyers 1'6 and 17 to the reject conveyers 26 and 27. The operation of the vanes34 and 35 is not simultaneous. Each operates independently in correlation with passage of magazines through their respective light beams. However, once a jam has been sensed by either of the jam switches 40 or 41 each vane will move to diverting position as soon as a magazine has cut both spaced beams in the reject station associated with such vane. If no magazines were moving along in the stream other than the one on which the jam occurred the vane in that stream would not move to diverting position. Contacts J5 or JJS energize the relay N and close contacts N1 and N3 to maintain the circuits to the motors 29, 30 and 31, when contacts M7 and M9 are opened as the result of opening jam switch 154 to clear the jam in the stacker 22. A like sequence takes place if the jam detector. switch 41 were closed by the result of -a jam on the conveyer 21. This assures that there will be a diversion of both streams of magazines from the reject station. This is necessary because both stackers must be shut down even to eliminate the jam in one stacker.

As previously explained, the opening of jam switch 154 stops the stacker motor 28 but does not stop the functioning of the relays and counter units so that the partial count is maintained and will be picked upagain upon the closing of the jam switch 154. The light sources Lt are deenergized to prevent a false count occurring t e during the removal of the jam. After both vanes 34 and 35 have been shifted to the reject position and the relays G, GG, J and II energized and locked across the line, the jam detector switches 40 and 41 can be reset and the jam cleared in the manner described.

After the jam has been cleared the jam switch 154 is closed energizing the relay M and starting the stacker motor 28 and energizing the lights Lt. The system is then returned to stacking conditions by closing both contacts of reset switch 43. Relay M closes contacts M13 placing relays K and K in the circuit so that upon the closing of, reset contacts 43, both relays K and KK will be placed across the line and energized. The energization of relay K opens contact K2 deenergizing relay 1. The energization of relay KK opens contacts KK2 deenergizing relay I]. If there is no-magazine break-ing the beam of relay F, contacts F1 will be closed and relay K will remain energized through closed contacts K3. If there is no magazine in the beam of relay FF, contacts FF 1 will be closed and relay KK will remain energized through contacts KK3. Closed contacts K1 maintain the circuit through relay G and closed contacts KKI maintain the circuit through relay GG'thus still holding the vanes in horizontal position. When a magazine enters the beam of relay F or relay FF, the contacts F1 and FF1 will open deenergizing the relays K and KK. At the same time the contacts F2 and FF2 will close thus still maintaining the relays G and GG in energized position' However, when the magazine leaves the beams of relays F and FF, contacts F2 and FF2 will open thus breaking the circuit to the relays G and GG. This deenergizes the solenoids 36 and 37 and the vanes 34 and 35 will move to the inclined position without any interference from a magazine on the conveyers 16 and 17. The magazines will thereafter be deflected upwardly to the inclined conveyers 18 and 19 and the stacking continued. The deenergizing of relays G and GG also breaks the circuits to relays J and J]. The circuits are now in normal position for continuing the counting and stacking while detecting and rejecting oversize magazines in either of the lines feeding the stackers independently'of each other and sensing jams and automatically diverting both streams in such case.

Although one embodiment of the invention is shown and described herein, it will be understood that this application is intended to cover such changes or modifications as come within the spirit of the invention or the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. For use with acounting and stacking mechanism to detectand reject off-sized articles from a stream of articles feeding such mechanism and to detect a jam at such mechanismand 'divert the stream of articles feeding such mechanism while such jam is cleared, in combination, two pairs of light sources and alined photo-relays, said pairs being spaced apart a predetermined distance along the path of travel of the articles to the mechanism for interruption of light beams falling on the photo-relays by passage of the articles, a member movable to one position wherein it directs articlesinto the mechanism and operable to another position wherein it diverts articles away from the mechanism, electroresponsive means energizable to move said member from said one to said other position, control means comprising means responsive to concurrent deenergization of both of said photo-relays to energize said electro-responsive means, means responsive to a jam occurring at the mechanism and deenergization of one of said photo-relays to energize said electroresponsive means continuously, and reset means including switch means manually operable to initiate deenergization of said electroresponsive means and means responsive to said operation of said switch means and reenergization of the photo-relay last to be deenergized to complete the deenergization of said electroresponsive means.

2. The combination according to claim 1 wherein said electroresponsive means is a solenoid operator, said means responsive to deenergization of both of said photorelays is an electromagnetic relay. energizable by such response to complete energizing connections to said solenoid operator, and wherein the last recited means comprises a switch operable to close upon occurrence of a jam, a second electromagnetic relay energizable by the aforementioned closure of said switch and deenergization of one of said photo-relays and means including a third electromagnetic relay for which energizing connections are completed by energization of said second electromagnetic relay and which when energized maintains energizing connections for itself and the first mentioned electromagnetic relay regardless of reopening of either switch or reenergization of said other of said photo-relays.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said reset means comprises a second switch and a fourth electromagnetic relay energizable by closure of said second switch to interrupt the energizing connections for said third relay while maintaining said first mentioned relay energized pending reenergization of the other said photorelays.

4. For use with a pair of article stacking mechanisms and a pair of supply conveyors individualized thereto, in

combination, a first light source and alined photo-relay disposed across the path of travel of each conveyor, a second light source and alined. photo-relay dispose across the path of travel of each conveyor in spaced apart relation a predetermined distance along the direction of travel of articles, members interposed between each conveyor and its associated stacking mechanism and each being movable between one position alfording transfer of articles to the latter and another position afiording directing of articles away from the same, electroresponsive means for each of said members energizable to move its associated, member to said other position, control means for each of said electroresponsive mean including means responsive to simultaneous deenergization of both photo-relays associated with a conveyor to energize its associated electroresponsive. means, and control means including switches responsive to jams occurring at either stacking mechanism to initiate and maintain energization of both of said electroresponsive means, which energization, in each case, is completable following deenergization of the first photo-relay associated therewith.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein the last mentioned control means further includes means for manually initiating deenergization of both of said electro responsive means, for individual completion of deenergization by follow g reenergization of the second photorelay respectively associated therewith.

6. The combination according to claim 4 wherein said electroresponsive means are electromagnetic solenoid operators, said means responsive-to deenergization of both photo-relays associated with a conveyor are first and second electromagnetic relays for which energizing connections are completed by such response, and wherein the last recited control means includes third and fourth electromagnetic relays for which energizing connections are respectively completed by closure of either'of said jam switches and deenergization of an associated second one of said photoqelays, and means including fifth and sixth electromagnetic relays for which energizing connections are completed by energization of said third. and fourth relays, respectively, and which when energized maintain energizing connections for themselves and said first and second relays, respectively, regardless of reopening of either of said jamv switches or reenergization of said photo-relays.

7. The combination according to claim 6 together with control reset means'comprising a third switch and seventh and eighth electromagnetic relays energizable by closure of said third switch to interrupt the energizing connections for said fifth and sixthrelays, respectively, while maintaining the energizing connections to said first and second relays, respectively, pending reenergization of the second photo-relays associated with. each conveyor in each case.

8. in combination, a pair of article stacking mechanisms, an electric motor for commonly driving both of said stacking mechanisms, supply conveyors associated with each of said stacking mechanisms, a second motor for commonly driving both of said supply conveyors, movable members interposed between each stacking mechanism and. its supply conveyor, solenoid operators for each of said members energizable to move its associated member. from a position. directing flow of articles to an associated stacking mechanism to another position diverting flow of articles from the latter, and control means comprising means for completing energizing connections to both of said motors, a first light source and alined photo-relay disposed across the path of each of said conveyors, a second light source and aligned photorelay disposed across the path of each conveyor a predetermined distance apart from said first light and photo relay in the direction of travel of the articles, like means which are each responsive to simultaneous deenergization of both photo-relaysof an associated conveyor to energize the associated solenoid operator, and means including switches responsive to jams occurring at either of said stacking mechanisms to initiate and maintain energization of both of said solenoid operators, the last mentioned energization in both cases being completable as a result of following deenergization of the first photo-relay as,- sociated therewith.

9. The combination according to claim 8 wherein said control means further includes means responsive to the aforementioned action of said switches to insure maintenance of energization of said second motor in the event energization of the first mentioned motor is inteirupted.

10. The combination according to claim9 wherein said control means further includes reset means for initiating deenergization of both solenoid operators, which deenergization, in each case, is completable by reenergization of the second photo-relay associated therewith.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

